Saso carving her own name

MANILA, Philippines — One website called her Yuka Sasasa, other portals wrote her name down as Yuka Sasagi, Yuka Sassa and Yuka Sasao, and another had it Yusa Sasou. For all the confusion her name being mispelled had fetched, Yuka Saso delivered a compelling message that should put the issue to rest.

For the 19-year-old wonder, her name simply spells victory.

Just into her third tournament as a pro, Saso has literally taken the LPGA of Japan Tour by storm, winning back-to-back championships in varying fashion. She rallied from behind to snare the NEC Karuizawa crown in Nagano three weeks ago then wrested control early and held sway to capture the Nitori Ladies diadem in Hokkaido last Sunday.

Those early exploits didn’t only match a couple of rare feats in the region’s premier ladies circuit but also established a lot of firsts rarely seen for a player barely warming up for the pros and on a tough tour as the JLPGA.

With at least 12 more tournaments lined up for the year cut short by the global health crisis restrictions, the 2018 Asian Games double-gold medalist and two-time Philippine Ladies Open titlist could be looking at a couple more victories – or perhaps three or four, depending on the challenge her rivals would put up the rest of the season.

What makes her doubly scarier is that she feels she’s just starting to heat up.

“I have just begun and I have a long way to go,” said Saso when asked about her enthusiasm for the future following her two-stroke triumph over Sakura Koiwai in the Nitori Ladies to complete a stirring back-to-back title romp.

But she quickly toned down her expectations, saying: “I will do my best without focusing too much on it.”

That’s what separates Saso from the rest this early in her pro career – focus. Aware of the challenge awaiting her in the Nitori Ladies, she hit Hokkaido days ahead of the event to acclimatize and familiarize herself with the Otaru Country Club. Clutching a one-stroke lead into the final round, she left her hotel three hours before the original tee-time, only to find out that the start had been moved by two hours due to bad weather.

“I just walked around there for an hour-and-a-half. I wanted to sleep but I thought it was rude to do so,” she said.

So she poured it all out on the course, dumping all the negative thoughts that could sidetrack her attention.

“Golf is a game, concentration matters. Rather than being aware of the opponent, I went on my way without thinking of them. I was aiming for a birdie in all holes because if I make a slight mistake, I would still have a chance for a par or bogey at worse,” said Saso.

“I did not look at the leaderboard. I don’t even know my score. I’m fighting for the championship and there were too many things to think and do with my own game,” she added.

Gifted with an awesome power, which she developed and sharpened, along with her skills in short game, including putting, through long hours of practice and drills, the ICTSI-backed ace has established herself this early as the yardstick among the best and the brightest in the lucrative circuit.

Veteran Fujita Saito said playing with Saso was like playing with Tiger Woods.

The Japanese may be right after all.

With her power, talent and mindset, it’s just a matter of time before Saso could surpass the Japanese aces’ achievements, gain accolades in other tours and build a name that’s distinctly hers.

It’s Yuka Saso.